Overview

Deemed One of the Top 10 indie Fantasy releases of 2010 by Fantasy Book Critic, and listed in the first ever Publishers Weekly Indie Select issue, the original 235k word epic title was written in longhand in a Texas prison cell by M. R. Mathias.

The Sword and the Dragon (Revised) is a Fully polished version that includes two Wardstone Short Stories. One is a piece of flash fiction called "The Blood of Coldfrost." The other is a Short Story ...

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Overview

Deemed One of the Top 10 indie Fantasy releases of 2010 by Fantasy Book Critic, and listed in the first ever Publishers Weekly Indie Select issue, the original 235k word epic title was written in longhand in a Texas prison cell by M. R. Mathias.

The Sword and the Dragon (Revised) is a Fully polished version that includes two Wardstone Short Stories. One is a piece of flash fiction called "The Blood of Coldfrost." The other is a Short Story called "Roar." These tales can only be found in print, in this volume.

"The Sword and the Dragon"

When the Royal Wizard of Westland poisons the king so that his puppet prince can take the throne and start a continental war, a young squire is forced to run for his life carrying the powerful sword that his dying monarch burdened him with from the death bed.

Two brothers find a magic ring and start on paths to becoming the most powerful sort of enemies, while an evil young sorceress unwillingly falls in love with one of them when he agrees to help her steal a dragon's egg for her father. Her father just happens to be the Royal Wizard, and despite his daughter's feelings, he would love nothing more than to sacrifice the boy!

All of these characters, along with the Wolf King of Wildermont, the Lion Lord of Westland, and a magical hawk named Talon, are on a collision course toward Willa the Witch Queen's palace in the distant kingdom of Highwander. There the very bedrock is formed of the powerful magical substance called Wardstone.

Who are the heroes? And will they get there before the Royal Wizard and his evil hordes do?

Whatever happens, the journey will be spectacular, and the confrontation will be cataclysmic.

Kings, Queens, Heroes, & Fools - The Wardstone Trilogy Book II is now available

The Wizard & the Warlord - The Wardstone Trilogy Book III releases in July 2012
Don't miss the International Bestselling 'Saga of the Dragoneers'

Editorial Reviews

Fantasy Book Critic

Overall The Sword and the Dragon (A+) is an impressive debut - a traditional fantasy that manages to be fresh. It succeeds in offering a complete reading experience. See the full review here: fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com --Fantasy Book Critic

Book Smart UK

Fans of Tolkien and CS Lewis will find much to enjoy to enjoy in M.R. Mathias' debut fantasy novel. This is a big book, with a steady flow throughout. Read this book. Take up your sword and get ready for a hugely enjoyable adventure. --Book Smart UK

B.V. Larson

This is an epic fantasy, and I do mean epic. This book is LONG. I'm talking 200,000 plus words, here. Probably three times as long as Harry Potter. A fat fantasy, the kind you would expect from a Jordan or Tad Williams. One should not be put off by the price, because you do get your money's worth. -- Bestselling Author, B. V. Larson

@Gollancz Orion Publishing Group.

"You've (Mathias) already achieved much, much more than so many people who like to think of themselves as writers." -- @Gollancz The Deputy Publishing Director of SF, Fantasy & Horror list of the Orion Publishing Group.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781478234579

Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing

Publication date: 7/28/2012

Edition description: Revised

Pages: 528

Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 1.06 (d)

Meet the Author

M. R. Mathias is an author who, in his past, spent several years in a Texas prison for minor drug possession. While he was there, he wrote several full length novels, and read several hundred more. The novels were written in longhand, without the luxury of spell check, or word processors, or even a dictionary. 'The Sword and the Dragon (Book One of the Wardstone Trilogy)', his 700 page epic fantasy debut, is available through Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords, and was featured in the Publishers Weekly Indie Select Showcase in Dec. 2010. It was also deemed one of the Top 10 indie fantasy releases of 2010 by Fantasy Book Critic. Several short stories, and his Dragoneers Saga series of novels are available as well.

Mathias has been clean and free since his release, and he has every intention of staying that way. He says: "Writing was my salvation. I was on a Maximum Security Unit for a while, over a few fights. I was in a modern dungeon cell 23 hours a day, everyday. Every word on every page of The Wardstone Trilogy was a moment of freedom."

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Customer Reviews

Anonymous

Posted July 17, 2014

Fans of Tolkien, George R.R. Martin and other authors of this ge

Fans of Tolkien, George R.R. Martin and other authors of this genre should find this to be an enjoyable fantasy epic. This is book one of a trilogy, but it doesnt feel that way. Its definitely a whole tale in its own right. The ending was satisfying but did leave room open for a future, but didnt leave you with that cliffhanger that many book one of… tend to do. The story is a bit slow to build and there are a lot of people to try and keep straight, but I think the effort and patience is well worth it in the end.

The story pretty much has it all. There are two brothers who find a magical ring and then have a hawk hatch and bring about the beginnings of a prophecy that will take the brothers on a course to battle evil and defend their world against darkness that was released by the designs of an evil wizard.

They will find their fates entwined in a cast of characters that span the races and imagination. There are kings and lords. Elves and dwarves. Sprites and witches. There is magic both good and evil. This is a world where the animals have a voice of their own and again have a man to hear them.

It was easy to see where the inspiration for this book came from and as a lover of the fantasy genre in general, I was pleased to see little snippets of familiarity but not so much so that the story didnt feel fresh and exciting. I really did enjoy getting to know Hyden, Gerard, Mik, Loudin, Vaegon, Talon, Willa, Grr and the rest of the cast both good and evil. Im looking forward to book two.

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MichaelBeas

Posted July 15, 2014

Wow! The Sword and the Dragon (The Wardstone Trilogy Book One 1)

Wow! The Sword and the Dragon (The Wardstone Trilogy Book One 1) by Author M.R. Mathias are just Epic and Breathtaking in a whole other level. Look out George Martin there’s a new kid on the block and his name is M.R. Mathias. My love for fantasy book begins and ends here. I absolutely love the mystery and action that comes with this piece of literature. Brothers become adversaries, a wonderful love story flourishes and intertwines as the book develops into a unique and original storyline and plot. If I had to come up with one word for this book it would be, Spellbinding. This is definitely one of those books that will take your mind to a different place. The evil King Wizard, for me, keeps you on your toes the entire time and tees me up for Book 2 in the trilogy. I should mention that the good guys are hard to spot since most of them are mystical creatures, but as you read along you will begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together and see which character takes which side. As of the brothers, their hatred grows by the minute and it doesn’t seem to stop at nothing. I can’t wait to get started on the next book!

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Upon King Balton¿s untimely death, Mikahl was tasked with delive

Upon King Balton’s untimely death, Mikahl was tasked with delivering a message and the king’s magical sword to the King of the Giants. Along his journey he aligns with an elf, and a couple of others, and form a lasting bond to the end.

I was emotionally drained by the time I finished this story. I had so much invested in the characters that I felt their pain too. Be forewarned, this is a very long story. But it was well worth the read. I didn’t like that it left the fate unknown for some, but I could tell that the story will continue, and I can’t wait to read it.

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Anonymous

Posted May 23, 2014

To be honest, I am use to reading from a girl's perspective in b

To be honest, I am use to reading from a girl's perspective in books and, most of the time, from one point of view; it's just normal to me. Of course, this book is much different. I found the characters interesting and they entrapped me into their fantasy world. The world building is clear and wonderful.The flow of the story is well done; it keeps you moving forward at a steady pace. Did I mention that the editing on this is also great? Nothing is perfect, but this book was very well done.

--Ashley M.

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JohnHarding

Posted February 8, 2014

This is the first book I've read by this author and it will not

This is the first book I've read by this author and it will not be last. I'm a huge Game of Thrones fans and hoped this book would give me the same thrills as the Martin books. It absolutely did. I loved the detail of both the characters and the whole new world. The intricate plots, the epic scale and the dramatic action are everything I could have hoped for. For all fans of this genre this is a must read. Highly recommended.

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Danielle-Marie

Posted June 2, 2013

An excellent fantasy tale, following your typical good vs. evil

An excellent fantasy tale, following your typical good vs. evil theme. This book gives you a lot of adventure and action. A true fantasy world with monsters, magic, evil wizards, and giants - this book sucked me in and I found myself lost within its pages.

The Sword and the Dragon is the kickoff to the The Wardstone Trilogy. Mathias is a master at creating a world where magic abounds, and the depth of his fantasy world is astonishing. There are so many characters to love and hate, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

I did find it hard to keep up with all the details of each character. Sometimes I found myself thinking that somethings were just not important enough to be writing about - but that did not take away from the story in any way, and before I knew it, I was finished.

This is a fantastic story by an Indie author. Mathias is a very talented fantasy writer. I started with his Crimzon &amp; Clover short story series, and am very happy to have started this series.

Off to read book 2!

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SuzReviewz

Posted September 11, 2012

Talk about a CLIFF HANGER!

Startzz”s out with a “Cliff Hanger” and the crescendo does not stop till the last page that makes you want to read the next two books. It takes the reader on an adventure right along with the characters and completely engrosses your imagination so there is no way to figure out what is going to happen. It transports you into a world where dragons, wizards, giants and dwarfs dwell amongst the humans who are on a quest of their own. The vivid descriptions of the places and beings will stay with you long after you finish this book. You will cheer for the brothers Hyden and Gerard and feel as if you are right there with them as they conquer and complete their journeys.

It does everything that a fantasy read should do.. Transports you.. to another time and… place that only exists in your imagination and takes you away on an exciting trip.

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M_Cesar

Posted August 1, 2012

This is not the first series I have read into by M.R Mathias,

This is not the first series I have read into by M.R Mathias, but by far the is the best yet! It starts off simply with two teen brothers who are part of a clan which harvest eggs from a cliff face each year, selling those eggs to support their community. Yet Hyden, the elder brother, has been entered into an archery contest and so his younger brother Gerard climbs the cliff in his stead, whilst climbing he comes across a magical ring at the highest point of the cliff where climbers never normally reach. But these small events spark off a chain reaction as one of those eggs taken from the cliff hatches, fulfilling a prophecy of a coming magician who will be the owner and friend of a hatched bird.

This book had a lot of depth to it, mainly due to the fact that the story takes place within seven kingdoms and the story follows many characters which come together at points creating a weaving effect that works really well. For example, another main character is a King&rsquo;s page called Mikahl who is told to flee whilst the King is dying from being poisoned. Mikahl is to carry a magical sword to the King of the Giants, not realising he is the true heir to the throne and as such the sword is his. Later he meets Hyden and the two become friends on this journey, yet both characters are equally important in the major plot.

This was the first book in The Wardstone Trilogy and this is a great start to the trilogy-story and a massive book, it&rsquo;s over 500 pages! The book ended giving some clues as to where the story will lead to in the next book, but the story wasn&rsquo;t itself left on a cliff edge. I think it would have been nice to see some of the individual smaller character stories not to end so cleanly at this point, but even saying that, I will definitely be putting the rest of the series onto my &lsquo;to read&rsquo; list and will get stuck in once they are out! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA Fiction or Fantasy, the characters are loveable and the story is well planned and flows smoothly.

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